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School BYO tablet policy easy to take

Cynthia Karena

Pads out: Teacher Kate Hughes and her year 4 students at St Leonard's College, Brighton East. The school has embraced e-learning, using iPads in class with a student code of conduct in place after a six-month trial last year.

Rather than taking pens, paper, calculators and textbooks for a measuring exercise around the school oval, students at St Leonard's College in Brighton East are using tablet computers loaded with apps and an e-maths textbook.

Using the tablets, students can access instructions from their e-textbook, record and store measurements, and connect to the internet for research.

Tablets are becoming more popular in schools, and their portability is extending educational opportunities beyond the classroom. ''You're providing immediate access to a database that is the world,'' says Dr Allen Partridge, e-learning spokesman for international software giant Adobe.

At a time when school systems around the world are making much of trying to supply all their students with laptops, what about schools that allow students to bring their own personal devices into the classroom?

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''A student's own mobile device is highly personalised,'' Partridge says. ''You can make a strong argument that personalisation promotes individuality and creative thinking. But allowing a range of BYO devices restricts apps and content to the lowest common denominator. Installed across the broadest range of devices, everyone will be seeing different things over different platforms.''

Despite such misgivings, St Leonard's College wanted to explore the concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). It conducted a six-month trial with teachers and students last year.

The findings indicate that students achieve more when using their own devices, the school's e-learning director Susanne Haake says.

''The ease of access on personal devices means there is no wasted class time logging on to school-owned computers,'' she says, adding that students were more responsible when using their own devices rather than the school's.

This year St Leonard's introduced a BYOD policy for all students in years 5 to 12. It was decided that students in years 5 to 9 were to bring iPads, Haake says.

Haake says the iPad was chosen because of the wide variety of apps available, both Apple standard and third-party, and also because the iPhone was the most popular smartphone among students. ''So there was wide familiarity with the functioning of iOS devices,'' she says. The long battery life and availability of support via Apple stores were also considered.

Also in the iPad's favour was its ease of use, science teacher and e-learning co-ordinator Tim Barlow says. ''Technical issues are out of the way, and students can concentrate on the lesson.''

The school produced a list of apps that students are required to install on their devices, and staff were able to familiarise themselves with the complete set last year.

The school took a different approach for its students in years 10 to 12. It was decided the iPad might not have suited suit every subject, so students were allowed to choose between Android, Apple or other devices, but with some minimum requirements, including having an up-to-date browser such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari; the ability to submit work with .doc, .docx or .pdf files; and the ability to create a presentation to the class with, for example, PowerPoint or Keynote.

Teachers at St Leonard's received iPads six months before the BYOD program was instituted, so they had plenty of time to familiarise themselves with the device and explore how it could be used in lesson plans, Haake says.

This year the school also appointed three e-learning co-ordinators to help with staff support and training. Students are responsible for support of their own devices but the school has about 20 student technology leaders from years 5 to 12 who help other students with questions.

''We have that knowledge here, so why not let the students showcase their knowledge and help other students?'' Haake says. ''We run lunchtime sessions where they can help students set up their devices.''

Parents are also supported. Last year the school ran three well-attended parent information sessions on the iPad and the school's BYOD policy. There is also an explanatory video on the parent portal on the school's website.

According to Allen Partridge, a BYOD program presents more of a social challenge than a technical one in schools. ''For example, pulling out the device to check Facebook or play games while the teacher is talking'', he says.

In answer, St Leonard's College developed a Student Electronic Device Code of Conduct. For example, students must: follow the teacher's instructions; have the volume muted; not play games in class; and not record or take pictures without permission.

''They understand the consequences if they misuse the device - it will be removed,'' Tim Barlow says.

Partridge suggests considering behavioural guidelines, such as ''respect for others'' and ''disrupting the class will not be tolerated'', rather than nailing down every infraction to a list of rules.

''Don't block the use of devices so ferociously that it's useless,'' he says. ''There is nothing to be afraid of in opening up the world to students with devices.

''There will inevitably be a student doing something inappropriate with a mobile device, but this is no different to a student rummaging in a library or bringing something [unsuitable] in a backpack, or saying inappropriate things.''